Action taken report by Government of Assam, Department of Housing and Urban Affairs on used water management in the urban local bodies of the state, 09/10/2024
Action taken report by Government of Assam, Department of Housing and Urban Affairs on used water management in the urban local bodies of the state.
A processing gap of 435.5 MLD has been identified for used water management in Assam. To address the same, Sewage Treatment Plants with a total capacity of 338.50 MLD have been planned and are currently at various stages of development. For instance, a sewage treatment plant (STP) with a design capacity of 2 MLD, has been made operational in the city of Nagaon, implemented by Assam Urban Water and Supply and Sewerage Board (AUWSSB).
Approval has been accorded by the Government of Assam for an amount of Rs 1460.37 Cr for 3 STPs (189 MLD) to be implemented in Guwahati under JICA assistance. 15 MLD of sewage is being remediated using bacterial dosing at Silsako Beel before release into Brahmaputra by Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA). As a part of the strategy followed by the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs in cities with a population less than 20,000, dual solutions are being implemented in the form of faecal sludge treatment plants and in-situ treatment of wastewater through nature based solutions.
Taking into consideration the order of the NGT to explore low cost technologies for used water management, the state has undertaken some initiatives. Among them 6 faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) have been constructed in Goalpara (7 KLD), Titabar (10 KLD), Tinsukia (20 KLD), Mariani (5 KLD), North Lakhimpur (10 KLD) and Guwahati (20 KLD) and in operation since August, 2024. 26 more FSTPs are being constructed on a cluster basis with technical assistance from UNICEF, expected to add additional capacity of 337 KLD.
As per the direction of the NGT, a ring fenced account, has been created by the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs and an amount of Rs 1014.18 Cr has been credited to the account for compliance of the various directions of the NGT with respect to solid waste management, used water management and legacy waste management in the ULBs of Assam.
The report of October 9, 2024 was uploaded to the NGT site, November 29, 2024.